BookTastic Transport Crowdfunder

Aim

We want to fund transport for 2,250 participants to be able to attend this year's FREE children's book festival.

BookTastic is an annual children's book festival with the aim of inspiring a love of reading in all children, regardless of income. This year we have funded 2,250 participants from the areas worst affected by deprivation to attend our live week of events. 

Each child will leave with a copy of the book, to close the gap between the experience and access to the rest of the story.

Transport costs in 2023 have skyrocketed. To get 2,250 participants from local schools to the venue, and back to school afterwards, will cost £25,930.

We want to make sure no-one misses out on the chance to discover the wonder that exists in stories. A love of reading is the single most powerful factor in life success, and the clearest route out of poverty.

Can you donate £11.52? That is the cost for a single child to get to the venue, and back again.

Quotes from teachers on last year's event:

“The event last year that our year 4 classes attended was brilliant. It reignited our love [of reading] and is vital to our continuing effort to embed a real love of reading. BookTastic is unique in helping us do this. I have worked in many boroughs where the children just don’t have this sort of access. And working in such a deprived area, it is even more important to do.”

“Reading for pleasure is something that we work very hard to encourage at the school, as we know that some of our children do not have access to books, or do not get the encouragement that they need to learn to read, or to love books. Whilst we know that author visits can have an important impact on reading for pleasure, we do not have the budget to pay for these, and many of our families are not in a position to buy books from the authors, something that is often needed for them to visit the school. The work that Rachael is doing through her BookTastic festival is SO important for primary school children in Bedford and Kempston and it is vital that this is made as accessible as possible to schools and their communities, who would otherwise be unable to afford to send their children.”

“Our school is very multi-cultural and diverse. We have lots of mobility across the school and many children do not spend their whole primary education with us. Many children arrive with little or no English so receive intervention for speech and language from skilled teachers straight away. It is a vibrant school with high expectations for all learners and staff. We believe that deprivation should pose no barriers to learners.”

This project successfully funded on 4th July 2023